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Tuesday, February 09, 2016

R & B Distillers has today announced that it has been granted
permission by the Highlands Council to build a whisky distillery on the inner
Hebridean Island of Raasay.

Construction of the new multimillion pound Raasay
distillery, visitor experience centre and members accommodation rooms will
begin around April 2016, with the aim of going into production during early
2017.

R&B
Co-founder Alasdair Day and ABIR Architect Olli Blair

The development will become the island's first legal
distillery and is expected to generate employment for at least eleven of the
island’s 120 residents.

The creation of the distillery, state-of-the-art visitor experience centre
and accommodation - which will include the restoration of the island's
currently derelict Victorian hotel, Borodale House, is hoped to put Raasay on
the map for whisky lovers around the globe.

Commenting on the news, R & B Distillers, said: “The
people of Raasay are integral to our distillery journey. It is of the utmost
importance to us that those who will live alongside it are happy with how our
plans will progress. In October we held a community meeting along with our
architect Olli from ABIR Architects to answer any questions about our plans.
We’re happy to say it went well!.”

Scottish entrepreneur Bill Dobbie and business partner
Alasdair Day, who founded The Tweeddale Blended Scotch whisky brand, launched R&B
Distillers in 2014. Last year the company independently bottled and launched Raasay
'While We Wait' single malt and Borders single grain whiskies, which are said to be previews of the flavour and calibre of the whisky that the distillery will produce once production begins.The first distilled and aged batch of Raasay single malt whisky is due to be
released by 2020 and the distillery is planning to produce up to 150,000
bottles of whisky a year thereafter.